The Unvegan

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The Best of 2015
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A Torta at Tortugas

8/21/2013 Eugene

Down by the River at McMenamin’s

Winging it.
Winging it.

Possibly the best part of a road trip is not quite knowing where you’ll be sleeping that night, and not just which hotel, but sometimes which city. Somehow after a day at beautiful, if foggy Crater Lake we decided to make the trek to Eugene, Oregon to crash with a family friend. Knowing the kind of food I like to eat and the kind of beers I like to drink, he took us to McMenamins, a sort of chain of microbreweries throughout Oregon and Washington. He explained that each one was unique in its design because they typically opened up in buildings with previous tenants and worked within those confines. It was a pretty cool concept and the McMenamins North Bank in Eugene certainly had an awesome set up.

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8/20/2013 Klamath Falls

Making TacoTime

This looks umm okay.
This looks umm okay.

The fast food restaurants of the world have taken some remarkable paths. McDonald’s and Subway have infiltrated nearly every corner of the globe. Taco Bell has brought “Mexican” food across the United States and places like In-N-Out have garnered cult followings while remaining tied down to a specific region. There is a reason that people on the East Coast have heard of In-N-Out and a reason why people in the Northeast heard of Chick-fil-a before its expansion. Likewise, there is a reason I had ever heard of TacoTime.

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8/19/2013 Saint Helena

A Little English at The Model Bakery

Model muffins.
Model muffins.

Back in St. Helena is a place called The Model Bakery. And The Model Bakery isn’t your typical bakery. You see, their specialty is a little something that isn’t usually found beyond the grocery store: The English Muffin. That’s right, the dry, flaky, often disappointing breakfast muffin can actually be made outside the Thomas’ factory.

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8/16/2013 Saint Helena

Gotta Have Gott’s Roadside

This shake is nuts.
This shake is nuts.

By most accounts, St. Helena in Northern California is a small town. Yet, within this small town in the middle of wine country is a burger stand of national acclaim serving up food with a non-small town price. Called Gott’s Roadside, it is both literally and figuratively not to be missed in St. Helena. We arrived after a bit of a wine tasting, eager to see what all the fuss was about.

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8/15/2013 San Luis Obispo

Making a Splash Cafe

A splash of sunshine.
A splash of sunshine.

As we began our road trip, we had one rule for meals: No more than $10 per person. It was a relatively simple rule, but still frightening when considering how much that would cost for two people for three meals a day. With this in mind, a buddy of mine recommended Splash Cafe in San Luis Obispo (also known as SLO for the cool kids). He had heard great things about their clam chowder, so I was excited to get clammed up there.

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8/14/2013 Mobile

Master Al Pastor at Leo’s Taco Truck

Love them spools of meat.
Love them spools of meat.

If you could have one final meal in LA that truly represents the city, what would you choose? Umami Burger? Korean BBQ? Some sort of Asian fusion? Anything with avocado in it? Seeing as I had eaten Umami the night before, for me it was a taco truck. You see, taco trucks just might represent LA better than any other food purveyor. Their mobility is all-important in a city that relies so much on cars. Their Mexican dishes feel perfectly at home in a place that was once Mexico and is chock-full of Mexican heritage. And their relatively low barrier to entry provides a great opportunity in a city that brings new opportunists in every day. For my last meal in LA, I chose Leo’s Taco Truck.

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8/13/2013 West Hollywood

Mild Thai at Night + Market

Feeling crabby?
Feeling crabby?

Before departing the land of Los Angeles, I had a couple of restaurants to knock off of my to-eat list mixed in with the number of restaurants I had to eat because I knew I would miss them. One from the former category was Night + Market, a Thai restaurant that wasn’t just your ordinary Thai restaurant. With an air of authenticity, I heard Night + Market boasts some spicy food, and while that wouldn’t be in the cards due to some mild white people I was with, I was still eager to see the flavors they had to offer.

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8/12/2013 Los Angeles

On the Lamb at Philippe the Original

Since 1908, eh?
Since 1908, eh?

A long, long time ago, some friend of mine told me of Cole’s (click this link only if you want to see how awesomely bad my writing was in 2008). At the time, they were having a 100th anniversary/reopening party and dishing out French Dips for 100 cents. They also claimed to be the “originator of the French Dip,” which is no small claim. Shortly after, however, I learned that this claim might not be true. As is often the case with something wildly successful, more than one entity claims to be first (ever see The Social Network?). It seemed that Philippe the Original felt they were the…achem…original and I was inclined to decide for myself.

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8/9/2013 San Diego

Pure California at Jalapenos

Hefty like California.
Hefty like California.

Down in San Diego for a drinking and baseball excursion, I somehow found myself at a place called Jalapenos in Carmel Mountain looking to fill my stomach with something non-alcoholic. My buddy had told me that the California Burrito was the way to go here and went on to explain that said burrito had fries…inside. A powerful anti-aging face treatment. Formulated with liposome RNA. A powerful cell bio-activator. Provides restorative effect to damaged cells. Valmont Prime Renewing Pack Contains anti-wrinkle peptides and ginseng extract to stimulate microcirculation. Visibly minimizes the appearance of wrinkles. Fine lines and pores. Absorbs impurities and relaxes facial features. Unveils a softer. Smoother. Brighter. Even-Toned and younger looking complexion. Yeah, I know, pretty awesome and I was ready to commit as soon as I learned what else filled the thing.

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8/8/2013 Brookline

A Killer Meal at Coolidge Corner Clubhouse

To die for.
To die for.

While in Boston (Brookline to be exact) for a vegetarian wedding or something like that, I found myself at Coolidge Corner Clubhouse in greater need of meat than usual. Fortunately, this sports bar was more than willing to help me with my needs. Having eaten an absurd burger the night before at The Standing Room, my meat needs this time moved more toward the chicken side of the menu.

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